UPDATED 6:29 pm, Fri Dec 13, 2013. COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. (WAAY) – Authorities have charged a woman with animal cruelty after finding 4 dead dogs outside her home and more than 120 dogs on her property earlier this week.

Debra Jane Catledge

Debra Jane Catledge, 53, is charged with 15 counts of second-degree dog cruelty. Catledge was released from the Colbert County Jail on a $750 cash bond. She could face a year in jail on each misdemeanor count or a fine.

Earlier this week, animal control officers rescued a total of 122 Yorkies and Pomeranians from Catledge’s home on Highway 72 in Barton. Authorities said the dogs were in wire cages out in the freezing weather. They also found 2 dead dogs.

On Thursday, the Colbert County Sheriff’s office executed a search warrant at Catledge’s home and found 2 more dead dogs, 6 live dogs, and illegal moonshine in a barn.

Sheriff Ronnie May said Catledge told investigators she took numerous other dogs out of state but will not say where.

“We’re in the process of locating her residence out of state and another family residence out of state to see if the additional dogs that she had are at those locations” said May,

May said more charges are expected in the next week for the moonshine found on the property.

COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. (WAAY) – On Tuesday, Colbert County Animal Control officers and the sheriff‘s department seized 122 Yorkies and Pomeranians found outside a home on Hwy 72 in the Barton community.

Colbert County Animal Control Director Judie Nichols said her office received a tip from a concerned citizen that the small dogs were being kept outside in the cold.

Animal control officers responded to the complaint around 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday and found two dead dogs frozen to their wire cages. Investigators spent several hours at the home taking pictures of all the animals that also included 2 exotic birds.

The dogs were housed in wire cages 3 to 4 feet off the ground. Nichols said the dogs were in good condition as a whole but the biggest concern was their exposure to the freezing temperatures.

“They were wet some of them and they had ice on their fur” said Nichols. “They were just very cold, huddled up, just cold.”

The shelter is now over capacity with more than 200 animals after taking in the dogs and more are expected since over 25 are pregnant.

“The owner was overwhelmed” said Nichols. “I think she went way overboard. She had way more than she could care for. It’s obvious she was breeding them.”

Staff and volunteers are busy grooming and performing medical evaluations on all the dogs which could take a few days. Nichols said they are also scanning each dog for a microchip to make sure none were stolen.

The shelter is not accepting any animals from the public until they can start adopting out the animals but are still responding to animal control calls.

“If they find a stray, we would like to ask for their patience and their understanding” said Nichols.

Colbert County Sheriff Ronnie May said the district attorney is waiting for all the dogs to be evaluated before deciding if animal cruelty charges will be filled against the owner. No charges have been filled at this time.

It could be several days before the dogs are available for adoption. The birds were signed over by the owner and have been adopted.

Investigators said other animals including horses were found on the property but appeared to be well cared for.

Please don’t get a puppy from the above, as you will be supporting the confinement of a dog, kept in a small cage for most of its adult life, with only one purpose, to have as many babies as possible! Puppy’s that come from puppy mills can be very poorly, their parents are treated appallingly. The lack of proper food, water, sunshine, even exercise…means the parents lack the nutrients to pass to their babies. They are force bred until they are of no more use; then they are either given away or thrown out with the trash…their owners will not pay to feed a dog that has stopped producing puppies; it’s lost income!”

“One place you can get a healthy dog from, who has had his shots etc. is a shelter…why not rescue a cute dog like Billy! They have so much to give, they just want to love & be loved; please give them a second chance, give them the gift of life!”

Two people are in custody in a massive dog abuse case in Screven County.

Dawn Hudson and Denny Corder face 115 counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty, and Corder is also charged with a probation violation.

Dawn Hudson, Denny Corder (Source: Screven County Sheriff’s Office)

The charges come after investigators found over 30 dogs dead, and over a hundred others malnourished, housed in horrible conditions, with no food, and no water at a Puppy Mill in ScrevenCounty late Tuesday afternoon.

Many of the dogs had also been stolen from their owners.

Screven County Sheriff Mike Kile was astonished at what he saw.

“I’ve never seen such filth, where people just didn’t care about an animal like they did,” said Screven Co. Sheriff Mike Kile. “Half starved, some actually starving, some dogs actually eating from dead animals in the pen with them, no water in the pen, it was just horrible.”

Authorities are looking to find homes for the animals that are not claimed by their owners.

Those will be available for adoption Thursday morning at 10:00am at the Screven County Ag Center on Rocky Ford Road.

“Yet another knob head that needs proper punishment. The SPCA can’t go on holding the hands of these merciless bastards. He knew those poor dogs were living in filth, yet he chose to brush it aside. The poor dogs gave him all the pups they could, they have nothing left to give now…apart from love…& I pray they all get to feel the sun on their backs, the grass under their feet, & the loving tender arms of someone to share their lives with.”

“This man deserves nothing less than a prison sentence (A PROPER ONE) not a suspended one, really, what’s the bloody point in them?. Get his heartless ass kicked in jail & make him pay for the treatment of every one of those poor dogs that gave their whole lives for him…Let him spend the same amount of time, he forced those little dogs to spend locked up in caged…in prison!!”

The owner of the house would face charges of animal cruelty and obstruction of justice, said SPCA Vereeniging manager Marlien Pieterse. “So what’s his name…so we can shame the bastard?”

The small dogs were living in their own faeces and urine. Most of them had few or no teeth left due to a poor diet.

The Meyerton police were called in when the owner of the Riversdale home refused to allow the SPCA access to the property.

“The inspectors tried to educate the owner and numerous warnings have been issued in the past. “Sod the warnings, why give these people a second chance to abuse when you know they have already done it! How many times can they abuse until something is done??”

“The owner chose not to comply nor improve the living conditions of the dogs,” Pieterse said. – Sapa

The animal welfare organisation said this brought the total number of pups seized to 92 in just three days.

The latest discovery includes mainly small breeds, aged between six and 10 weeks.

Gardaí have since released the suspect, pending further enquiries.DSCPA chief executiveBrian Gillen is warning people buying a puppy to be vigilant against trafficking.

This second seizure in a week has to make people aware of the problems of buying from an unreliable source.“Do not buy from the boot of a car or a van and always arrange to meet the puppy with its parents at the breeders home – the conditions the mother is living in is a good indication of the health and welfare of the animals.”

Twenty-five JackRussells and a number of other breeds including Cocker and Springer Spaniels, Terriers, Beagles and Labradors were found inside boxes in the back of the vehicles, which were stopped on the Old Malahide Road

Two men arrested in connection with animal cruelty were subsequently released

Fifty puppies were found in two vehicles in Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday, October 9 after a routine patrol by police (garda) lead to the discovery of a possible dog-smuggling operation.

The Dublin SPCA were called to take in the puppies who had been packed into boxes in the back of the vehicles.

The puppies included Spaniels, Labrador Retrievers and Jack Russell Terriers. A number of the puppies were suffering treatable conditions like mange, ermites, fleas and eye infections. Many of the pups had had their tails docked and dew claws removed resulting in minor infections. A few of the puppies are receiving special care as they were too young to have been removed from their mother’s care.

The men involved were believed to have been trafficking the puppies from Ireland to theUK as part of a puppy smuggling scheme, where the dogs would be sold on the black market for several thousand euros.

Since July 1, dog breeders in Ireland with more than six breeding females are legally obligated to register with their local councils. This is to help facilitate stricter regulations now in place concerning animal welfare. However, none of the puppies rescued were micro-chipped and as a result, tracing the breeders involved is impossible.

The DSPCA is cautioning the public to take extra care when buying a puppy online or from roadsides. CEO Brian Gillen said, “Do not buy from the boot of a car or a van and always arrange to meet the puppy with its parents at the breeders home – the conditions the mother is living in is a good indication of the health and welfare of the animals.”

The DSPCA is also pleading with the public to report any concerns they have for animals they have visited with a view to buying. Head of Media and PR, Gillian Bird, said, “Many people ring us up to report cruelty to a puppy they have recently bought which may have died or be seriously ill. The usual comment is that they felt sorry for the animal and bought it to rescue it. For the welfare of the other animals it would be better to report the seller, their location or car registration number so a full investigation can be carried out.”

All of the puppies will eventually be found new homes. The dogs, which range in age from three to eight weeks, are now in secure accommodation at the DSPCA centre in Rathfarnham, Dublin.

The DSPCA has confirmed that none of the puppies are available for new homes until DSPCA inspectors have concluded their investigations.

“When the dogs are ready to go to new homes, we will put it up on our website and our Facebook page” said Ms Bird. The DSCPA’s website is at www.dspca.ie.

“Unfortunately, there are a few of these really bad breeders who know they’re not going to pass inspections and are trying to get out of the business fast,” said Peggy Brown, coordinator of community outreach and education for the Humane Society of North Texas.

The dogs rescued in Flower Mound are being housed in the city’s animal shelter. All of the animals were filthy and appeared to have lived in inhumane conditions but otherwise seem to be healthy.

City animal control officers say they have heard reports of similar dumps elsewhere in the state. It appears to be a tragic side effect ofnew regulationsdesigned to protect the dogs in the breeding industry, comments the Dallas Daily News.

“Unfortunately, with a lot of these puppy mill dogs, their feet may have never touched the ground,” Peggy Brown said. “They could have spent their whole lives in cages.”

Volunteers have been bathing and grooming the dogs for cleanliness and also to relieve the discomfort of those with tightly matted fur, which can be very painful. They will be placed up for adoption next week unless the owner claims them.

“It’s really heartbreaking,” Brown said. “Hopefully, we can change their lot in life and give them a better future than their past has been.”

ABANDONING ANIMALS IS A CRIME!

The Humane Society of North Texas in Forth Worth is offering a $500 reward for information on who dumped the 92 dogs along these country roads in Denton County Monday and Tuesday nights. They can be contacted at 817-332-HSNT.

Flower Mound Police Department is conducting an animal-cruelty investigation and asking for help from the public.

If anyone has information regarding the dumping of the dogs, they are asked to call the Flower Mound Police Department at 972-539-0525 or call CrimeStoppers, anonymously, at 972-874-3307.

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